Wish your city had better public transit? Here's one way to help get your neighbors on board as fellow advocates: build a temporary, fake train station to give a real-life demonstration of what a bigger system might look like. Last week in Miami, a group of students from Florida Atlantic ran the Purple Line project, a pop-up "train station" near unused tracks.
The pretend train station included extra features of urban life that tend to grow up around transit centers, like a farmers market, musicians, and cafes. It also included a "transit confession booth" where residents could share rants about the current state of public transportation in Miami.
By walking through the bustling crowds, neighbors could imagine what it would be like to have a train station nearby. Organizers wanted people to think about what it would mean for their lives to have more convenient transit. Marta Viciedo, one of the organizers, told the Miami New Times:
We're trying to show artistically what can happen when you have an improved transit system. Miami can't grow to its full potential without a better transportation system, especially for the urban areas.
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The project was inspired by Better Block, a national campaign that revitalizes an area for a short time to show what's possible through better design.
Image courtesy of Purple Line Miami
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